Avoid Footrot Like
the PlagueThis article first appeared in The Working Border Collie, Inc. in
July/Aug 1993.

by Mike Neary
Extension Sheep Specialist
Purdue University

Footrot in the ewe flock is a frustrating
situation. anyone who has fought footrot can attest to this. Seldom is the battle
completely won. Footrot always seems to win a partial victory. Whether through decreased
production, increased labor and medication costs, decreased ewe longevity and higher
culling rates. Footrot can be a wicked health problem in sheep or can be a mild annoyance.

The only good thing I can think of about footrot is that it can give
the dogs a lot of chute work through the footbath and some gathering and shedding work.

**Prevention of footrot is the only practical way of
dealing with this problem. Avoid footrot like the plague.

Causes of Footrot

Footrot is caused by a synergistic action of two anaerobic
bacteria, along with environmental conditions conducive to their growth and spread. The
bacteria are; Fusobacteriumnecrophorum and Bacterioidesnodusus.
The bacteria F. Necrophorum is commonly present in soil, manure, etc. It is the B. Nodusus
organism, when present, that causes the problem. Again, both bacteria have to be present
to cause footrot. There are over 20 strains of the B. Nodusus bacteria, varying in their
infectivity and severity.

Warmth, mud and poor sanitation are environmental
conditions that also favor footrot spread. these conditions create the anaerobic (lack of
oxygen) conditions necessary for the spread of the disease. The B. Nodusus organism will
only live in soil for 14 to 21 days.

Preventing Footrot

At the risk of being annoying, I want to repeat the
statement, avoid footrot at all costs. If nothing but this point is remembered, this
article will have been successful.

There are mountains of misinformation that are spread about
footrot. Remember this also; footrot is spread by sheep carrying the disease. Certainly,
footrot can be spread through equipment and contaminated premises. However, the
overwhelming cause of footrot in clean flocks is through introduction of sheep carrying
the disease. Most people that get footrot in their flock, buy it. Not a good bargain.

Footrot bacteria can live in cracks and crevices of a
sheep's hoof for months. Often, they will not even limp until environmental conditions are
right to activate a case of footrot.

Buy sheep from a flock that is free of footrot. Isolate all
new purchases fro at least 30 days. Buy sheep from honest breeders that will honestly tell
you their health problems or otherwise. Be incredibly cautious about buying
"bargain" sheep at the salebarn, etc. A free sheep with footrot will be an
incredibly expensive individual.

Treating Footrot

For those fighting footrot, the goal is to dry out the
infected feet and introduce oxygen. This is accomplished using chemical drying agents and
close trimming of infected feet.

Some of the chemicals used are: Zinc sulfate, copper
sulfate and formaldehyde. These chemicals are usually used in a footbath or soaking area.
Zinc sulfate is usually the best, safest compound for man and beast. Antibiotics can also
be used to help cure footrot. When available, the footrot vaccine can also be helpful in
the footrot fight.

Keeping feet trimmed of overgrown tissue will reduce mud
and manure packing and decrease the chances an anaerobic environment will develop. Sheep
that have footrot should be trimmed ruthlessly. Do not be frightened of a bit of blood.

It is important to separate infected sheep into their own
hospital group and away from those not infected. This allows you to concentrate your
efforts on the infected sheep and helps prevent further spread of the disease. Since
footrot lives in soil for only two to three weeks, use planned pasture rotating to you
advantage.

Some breeds, lines or individual sheep seem to have a
propensity for susceptibility to footrot. if you have some sheep that cannot be cured,
culling may be the best strategy. If you have a small flock of grade sheep, it may be more
feasible to sell the whole flock and buy more sheep in two to three weeks.

Summary

Do not believe the old wives' tales about footrot. Footrot
is most commonly spread by infected sheep entering an uninfected flock. Do not buy
footrot! Prevention is the best cure.